


TL789.8, or The Politics of Space

by oriolegirl



Series: R856, or Engineering a Relationship [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-12
Updated: 2013-04-12
Packaged: 2017-12-08 07:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/758448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriolegirl/pseuds/oriolegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Rodney have left DC behind…or have they?</p>
            </blockquote>





	TL789.8, or The Politics of Space

**April 2012**

After five years together, Rodney knows some things about John. He knows that it's the beginning of the quarter and John will have spent the day fielding questions from anxious engineering undergrads about the upcoming first exam. John is not going to be in a good mood when he gets home. So Rodney is prepared. He's cooked dinner – simple pasta with red sauce but not even he can ruin that – and he's got the wine uncorked, waiting to be poured. The stage, so to speak, is set. He hopes.

John comes in and drops his bag on the couch. He's rolling up the sleeves on his shirt when he stops in the kitchen doorway. "What's going on, Rodney?"

"Why do you think something's going on? Nothing's going on." He turns to the counter next to the stove where the plates are waiting. "You ready to eat?"

"Rodney. You made dinner."

"So," he says defensively, turning around. "I have been known to make dinner."

"Yeah," John drawls, "when you've done something you think I won't like."

Rodney scowls and picks up the wine bottle. "Here, have some wine."

"Wine, Rodney? Seriously, what's going on?"

Rodney clears his throat. "So, how serious were you when you said you hated DC and never wanted to go back?"

~*~

**September 2008**

Rodney was very tired of NASA. Yet another Congressman wanted yet another report about NASA. And it always came down to the same things. Yes, NASA should continue to be funded, but they were spending their money on all the wrong things and the space program needed an overhaul. But all of Rodney's careful analysis got ignored as all anyone actually looked at was the numbers. It was, quite frankly, a waste of his time and his brain.

Rodney looked at the clock on his computer. It was another three hours until he could reasonably expect to roust John out of his office. They had plans for a quiet evening at home. They had moved in together a few months ago and it was going well – aside from a few moments of terror during the house warming party when Ronon loomed while Teyla smiled serenely and said she was sure John was quite happy with him. Rodney was very much looking forward to going home with John and making him happy – in about three hours. Which is why he was surprised when John appeared in his office doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

John scratched the back of his neck. "You ready to get out of here?"

Rodney was suspicious. John never left early. "What's going on?"

John shrugged. "Elizabeth told me to take a few days, so I'm taking a few days."

Rodney rounded his desk, pushed John towards the other chair, and shut the door. Crossing his arms, he said, "What happened?"

"I've just – had enough." John was quiet for a minute then burst out with, "I really fucking hate this place and I'm not sure I want to be here anymore. I was ready to resign but Elizabeth told me think about it."

Rodney leaned back against his desk. "I've been wondering how much longer it would be. You've been angry a lot the last few weeks."

John stared. "You're awfully calm about this."

"It's not like I'm enamored of this place, either. I told you once that I wasn't planning to stay here forever."

"Yeah, I guess you did."

"So what would you do if we left?"

John looked down for a minute, then looked up again. "I was thinking, maybe, grad school?"

"UC San Diego? Because they're involved in the Cal Space Institute which just might keep trying to recruit me."

"Of course they are." John sighed. "Can we go home now and talk about this tomorrow?"

~*~

**April 2012**

John stares at him while swallowing a mouthful of wine. "So," Rodney says, "the Library of Congress has created this new chair in astrophysics and they've asked me to be the first holder."

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long, Rodney, would this be for?"

"Oh. It's a year. Just one year."

John refills his wine glass and Rodney winces before saying, "I know you're starting your dissertation work, but I'm sure we could find you lab space, or a library carrel, or an office full of white boards, or whatever it is you'll need."

"This is important to you?"

"Yes! It's a chance to develop a new plan for NASA to do real science in space. And to continue educating the public on why that's important."

"You hate NASA."

"No, I don't," Rodney protests.

John raises an eyebrow.

Rodney crosses his arms and huffs. "Just parts of it. JPL, Ames, and Greenbelt are ok. It's Florida and Texas that don't know what they're doing."

"Houston, we have a problem," John murmurs.

Rodney points at John in triumph. "Exactly!"

"So just the entire manned space flight program then."

"There are lots of better ways to explore the universe, not to mention, oh do some science. Besides, the space shuttles are based on rocket technology from the 1940s! Do you want to send humans into space with technology that's 70 years old?"

John sits down at the table. "Give me some of that pasta."

"John?"

"Rodney, I've been dealing with worried students all day. I can't think about anything this important right now." He sighs. "I'll talk to Frank tomorrow, see what he and the rest of my committee think, and then we can decide what to do. In the meantime, food."

"I love you, you know."

John smirks. "I know."

~*~

Rodney came home almost two weeks later to find John peering into the oven, table set, wine glasses out and already half-full. "You're making dinner?"

John closed the oven door and turned around. "Just baked ziti. I think they must be serving it in the dining halls this week. My students keep telling me they've been having cravings." He shrugged. "Or maybe it's just post-midterm stress."

"Yours or theirs?"

"I finished grading this morning, so maybe a little bit of both." He scratched his neck and looked away. "So, you still want to go back to DC, right?"

Rodney stood a little straighter in anticipation. He had been trying not to bug John about it, knowing he had to talk with his advisor, but the Library of Congress people were getting antsy for either a positive or a negative reply. "Yes. I do, yes."

"Ok, well, Frank has a former student who's on the aerospace engineering faculty at Maryland and her husband is in the Government and Politics department. They've managed to work out something where I'd give a graduate seminar on current American politics and –"

"Is that something you'd be willing to do?" Rodney frowned. "I mean, you really wanted out of politics altogether."

"The aerospace engineering program has a concentration in rotorcraft, Rodney." John's eyes lit up and his hands moved through the air, miming helicopter movement. "They'll let me audit courses."

"And that's worth teaching a seminar on politics?" Rodney asked. He was pretty sure of the answer, but he'd learned it was best to make sure.

"My father never designed anything except jets. He didn't really think helicopters were worth his time. But I think they're pretty interesting. There's a whole different mechanics going on there. Different math, different physics." John shrugged. "So, yeah. It's only a grad seminar."

"I really kind of love you, John Sheppard. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for the helicopters."

Rodney reached out to pull John towards him. "Whatever makes you happy."

**Author's Note:**

> Much thanks, as always, to my fabulous beta [Cyanne](http://cyanne.dreamwidth.org/). I got the idea for this when I read [the press release](http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2012/12-080.html) about LC's new chair in astrobiology. And the University of Maryland's [Aerospace program](http://www.aero.umd.edu/grad/phd.html) really does offer a major field in rotorcraft.


End file.
